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Great and credible information with a fresh approach about Portuguese and Spanish wine and food. Not to mention, fantastic info about new trends as well as age-old traditions from the vibrant Iberian peninsula.

The Wines of Spain – By Julian Jeffs – The Introduction

Officially, Julian Jeff’s book, The Wines of Spain, has been cracked! For those of you unfamiliar with Julian Jeffs, he is considered one of the foremost writers on European wine, and has written several books solely on topic of Spanish and Portuguese wine. Julian began his career as a barrister in 1958, working as a QC, Bencher, and a deputy High Court Judge. Then, when he had few moments to spare, he just so happened to find time to be one of the founders of the Cambridge University Wine and Food Society, President of the Circle of Wine Writers, General Editor of the Faber wine books, all while writing his own books! When I have free time, I typically go hiking, have some tapas and read a book; whereas, our friend here creates organizations. As if this isn’t impressive enough, he not only wrote about the Sherry trade, but he also worked in Jerez de la Frontera to get some hands on experience. He is also part of the reading curriculum for the IWC (International Wine Center), a world renowned school certified to educate Wine Masters. In short, if I am to choose a book on Spanish wine, I feel absolutely confident he’s well-versed on the subject.
So today, during my 45 minute train ride to Barcelona, where I typically fall asleep against the window as the car sways back and forth and the warmth of the sunrise gently falls upon my face tempting me to curl up like our cat Txarli, I boldly opened the book and began looking at a large map marking all 65 Denominacion de Origens laid before me.

I, personally, am an enormous fan of maps, especially when they are both informative and cool looking. As I sit typing, I’m actually staring directly at three maps hung in our office: one of Barcelona, another of Madrid and the last of Portugal. Actually, if I turn around and look at the three other maps we have on the back wall of our office, the map marking all 65 D.O.s of Spain has Portugal distinguished as a gray blob that doesn’t really exist. This is another topic entirely that I won’t go into at the moment, but feel free to keep in the back of your head that Portugal’s nonexistence isn’t an infrequent occurrence on Spanish maps; whereas, Portuguese maps will typically include Spain. What intrigues me about Julian’s map, however, is that he marks each D.O. with a number but fails to ever give me a listing as to which D.O. correlates with which number, leaving me a little perplexed. Why have a map with numbers if the numbers are never explained? It’s paramount to me giving a tourist a map of Chicago with numbers representing each tourist point without a key and saying “I highly suggest you visit the Sears Tower, the Art Institute and the Aquarium”. If I didn’t have a cursory knowledge of Spanish wine regions, I’d still be scratching my head wondering what the hell the numbers referred to.

Leaving the vague and pointless map behind me, I moved onto the Introduction. Now this is what I call “interesting”! What a better way to begin a book than with issues I, too, have wrestled with over the past year. Spain is a vast changing country containing several different distinct and unique regions. When I say unique, I truly mean that we have cultures like the Catalans who have their own profound history, culture, language and customs. In no way could you ever compare the Catalans with the Basques or the Madrileños with the Andalusians. They are completely different cultures with their language or dialect. What this means is that each grape may be written differently depending on whose perspective your taking it from. Just look at the region where Ryan and I live. In Catalan, we live in Cataluñya; in Spanish, we live in Cataluña; in Aranese (the third official language of the region), we live in Catalonhañ and in English, we live in Catalonia. I have constantly had difficulties knowing how to write a grape varietal or a region, never quite knowing which culture I should claim allegiance to at a given moment. Living in Cataluñya, should I spell it the Catalan way, or should I spell it the way English speakers will identify it on their map? Curiously, Julian mentions that he had to choose between English or the Spanish spelling for the book – electing Spanish, but never broached the subject as to the spelling based on the regional language or dialect. I’ll be curious to see if this holds true throughout the book.

Another sticky point is that of gender. Like any romance language, Spanish is broken down into masculine and feminine nouns, where each noun is identified by an article, and sometimes, by a different spelling based on gender. I honestly have never considered this because I never thought this would be an issue when writing about a grape varietal. Not to say it isn’t logical, but not something I ever deemed important. Learning Spanish from the street, grammar is still something I’ve put on the back burner if it hasn’t helped me get my immediate needs and wants achieved. When I get my bread in the morning, I rarely think about whether my article is correct, trusting that my ear will guide me. It’s only when I royally screw up describing an individual in the wrong gender. For example, never say, “Eres muy guapo” (you are really attractive) to a female using male a descriptor if you want a date with her. You may not get too far!

The second topic Julian tackles is that Spanish surnames, a very confusing topic for us English folk. In the Spanish culture, the wife doesn’t take on the name of their spouse; instead, she preserves her maiden name. A Spaniard will always have two surnames; the first from the paternal side and the second from the maternal side, sometime joined by a “y” or an “e” (in catalan) meaning “and”. Although, times have changed, allowing Spaniards to legally place either the mother’s or the father’s name first. Therefore, if you take a famous Spanish winemaker, such as Miguel Torres Vendrell, you most likely have only seen him presented as Miguel Torres. Like American legal names – typically containing a first, middle and last name – we will commonly identify ourselves only by our first name and surname, excluding the middle name entirely. The same holds true for Spaniards, where they leave out the second surname for both ease and convenience.

As a foreigner, I personally find the Spanish naming custom incredibly interesting being that Ryan and I have been lost as to whether or not we should place our middle name as our first surname, or if we just use our last name as our first surname dropping out the second surname entirely. Therefore, do I write Gabriella (first name) Reynes (first surname) Opaz (second surname) on my legal forms, or just Gabriella Opaz, continually leaving a Spaniard with a confused look on their face when they see that I only have one “legal” surname. For names like mine, regardless of what I choose, pronunciation hasn’t been an issue, providing me an easy way to identify myself when my name is called at any government or medical building. However, my dearest husband has an incredibly difficult problem identifying himself because if he isn’t aware of what to listen for, his name may be absolutely butchered. Ryan Anderson Opaz can give a Spaniard an absolute headache, unaware as to how one pronounces the “r” with the “y” or the entire name of “anderson”. The only example I could offer in reverse is when you try to pronounce wine labels from Spain, Portugual, France, etc. in their native languages. I can promise you that what I called the wines before I came to Spain sounds like a twangy southern accent as compared to what I know of them now that I live here.

Finally, Julian discusses how you should decipher a winery’s address. If you’ve ever tried to find someone in the sticks with an address like “Happy Tree Road, km 2″, you probably know that you need both luck and a good Spidey-sense to find them. Poor Ryan has had many experiences in both Portugal and Spain looking for a winery that has no more information than Bodega X in X city, which makes the game “Where’s Waldo” seem like a cake walk. What is important to know, something for which Julian was smart to point out, is that if you see s/n (sin numero), it means that they have opted to drop a number entirely because it is pointless to have three buildings on an entire road with a number. Instead, they have opted to locate buildings using kilometer posts along the side of the road. Carretera “Terrassa-Sabadell km 2″ means that the winery is located 2 km. on the main thoroughfare going from Terrassa to Sabadell. Personally, I like this methodology. Sure, you have to trust that the winery has made it absolutely clear with a big flashing sign where along km 2 they are located, but generally I find this easier than looking for a meaningless number among expansive areas of vines.

So there you have it, the Introduction to Julian Jeffs’ book (I always feel like “Jeffs” shouldn’t have an “s” at the end, and that I am constantly making an error when I type it). The verdict: I’m content and am enjoying the ride reading this book. Granted, I’ve only read the first 15 pages, but it’s been 15 pages that I’ve enjoyed reading and chatting about. Let’s see if I can keep up this rhythm and pace as I dive into Chapter 1: The Spanish Wine Scene. Sounds cool, like an underground subculture filled with semi naked women serving vintage wines to prestigious wine dealers amongst the fermenting oak barrels deep within inside the secret wine caves. Hmmmm…maybe I’ll have a mystery novel by the end of the blog?

Hello Gabriella! I will be visiting Spain for two weeks in September/October, hitting a number of wineries and great restaurants. One of my recent acquisitions, in preparation for my trip, was a copy of "The Wines of Spain" by Julian Jeffs. I have found it to be an interesting book. Though I might have a different edition than you as my Introduction seems much shorter than yours. The "Introduction" only occupies 2 pages, and then there is the map which also occupies 2 pages. And the last page of the map is listed as page ix. The rest of the opening pages are blank, the title page, table of contents, etc. You are right on the money about Jeffs' map. It is as if they forgot to add a page explaining the numbers. He also has boxes around certain regions yet does not identify what each box means. I have enjoyed reading your thoughts and look forward to future posts in this series. Richard

Dave Hall (Pepino)

Hi Gabriella, Hope you're well! I know nothing about wines except for the fact that I like the taste but I'm already enjoying reading the first steps of your journey through the 4 books you've chosen. I'll definitely stick around for the ride and hopefully learn a thing or two with you. By the way, I'm sat in the office in work at the moment, and just noticed that your comment about Portugal not appearing on Spanish maps certainly rings true here. I've got a map on the wall directly in front of me, and I'm afraid to say that while every region of Spain is fully represented in glorious technicolour, poor old Portugal has been relegated to exactly the same colour as the Altantic ocean, rendering it completely invisible with nothing more than a mere shadowy outline to show that there "might" actually be a bit of land clinging onto the arse-end of Galicia with it's the last of it's fingernails! I can see this is going to be something I won't be able to avoid looking out for in future as I'm a bit obsessive about maps (Give me an Atlas of the world and you'll not hear a peep out of me for hours!) jeje. Be good! Dave

RichardA

Hello Gabriella!
I will be visiting Spain for two weeks in September/October, hitting a number of wineries and great restaurants. One of my recent acquisitions, in preparation for my trip, was a copy of “The Wines of Spain” by Julian Jeffs. I have found it to be an interesting book. Though I might have a different edition than you as my Introduction seems much shorter than yours. The “Introduction” only occupies 2 pages, and then there is the map which also occupies 2 pages. And the last page of the map is listed as page ix. The rest of the opening pages are blank, the title page, table of contents, etc.

You are right on the money about Jeffs’ map. It is as if they forgot to add a page explaining the numbers. He also has boxes around certain regions yet does not identify what each box means.

I have enjoyed reading your thoughts and look forward to future posts in this series.

Richard

http://pepino-bcn.blogspot.com/ Dave Hall (Pepino)

Hi Gabriella, Hope you’re well!

I know nothing about wines except for the fact that I like the taste but I’m already enjoying reading the first steps of your journey through the 4 books you’ve chosen. I’ll definitely stick around for the ride and hopefully learn a thing or two with you.

By the way, I’m sat in the office in work at the moment, and just noticed that your comment about Portugal not appearing on Spanish maps certainly rings true here. I’ve got a map on the wall directly in front of me, and I’m afraid to say that while every region of Spain is fully represented in glorious technicolour, poor old Portugal has been relegated to exactly the same colour as the Altantic ocean, rendering it completely invisible with nothing more than a mere shadowy outline to show that there “might” actually be a bit of land clinging onto the arse-end of Galicia with it’s the last of it’s fingernails! I can see this is going to be something I won’t be able to avoid looking out for in future as I’m a bit obsessive about maps (Give me an Atlas of the world and you’ll not hear a peep out of me for hours!) jeje.

Be good!

Dave

Gabriella Opaz

Richard, Thanks for chiming in. Your trip sounds fantastic, although I am curious as to where you will be visiting here in Spain? Are you focusing on a specific region, or making a grand sweep throughout the country? Pepino, Thanks for your support. I really appreciate it! Your comments on Portugal intrigued me and I put up some additional thoughts on the forum if you're interested!

http://www.catavino.net Gabriella Opaz

Richard,

Thanks for chiming in. Your trip sounds fantastic, although I am curious as to where you will be visiting here in Spain? Are you focusing on a specific region, or making a grand sweep throughout the country?

Pepino,

Thanks for your support. I really appreciate it! Your comments on Portugal intrigued me and I put up some additional thoughts on the forum if you’re interested!

RichardA

Hi Gabriella: I will be making somewhat of a grand sweep. I will start off in Madrid and then go to Laguardia, San Sebastian and Barcelona. I will visit a number of wineries including Abadia Retuerta, Remeriz de Ganuza, Albet i Noya, Pares Balta, Miguel Merino, Ismael Arroyo, Talai Berri Txakolina, Mas d’en Gil and Costers del Siurana. I also have plans to hit some top restaurants, including Akelare, Viridiana, Jean Luc Figueras, and Tapioles 53.

http://www.realworldwiners.com RichardA

Hi Gabriella:
I will be making somewhat of a grand sweep. I will start off in Madrid and then go to Laguardia, San Sebastian and Barcelona. I will visit a number of wineries including Abadia Retuerta, Remeriz de Ganuza, Albet i Noya, Pares Balta, Miguel Merino, Ismael Arroyo, Talai Berri Txakolina, Mas dÃ¢â‚¬â„¢en Gil and Costers del Siurana. I also have plans to hit some top restaurants, including Akelare, Viridiana, Jean Luc Figueras, and Tapioles 53.

RichardA

Hi Gabriella: My wife and I are going on our own through Cellar Tours (<a href="http://www.cellartours.com). “>www.cellartours.com). They put together a customized tour for us, and will take us to the various wineries. We will have plenty of free time as well. Ryan previously offered to meet up with us for a drink in Barcelona. Any suggestions or recommendations you have would be greatly appreciated. How was Remeriz de Ganuza? Their Riserva is one of my favorite wines. Richard

RichardA

Hi Gabriella: My wife and I are going on our own through Cellar Tours (<a href="http://www.cellartours.com). “>www.cellartours.com). They put together a customized tour for us, and will take us to the various wineries. We will have plenty of free time as well. Ryan previously offered to meet up with us for a drink in Barcelona. Any suggestions or recommendations you have would be greatly appreciated. How was Remeriz de Ganuza? Their Riserva is one of my favorite wines. Richard

RichardA

Hi Gabriella: My wife and I are going on our own through Cellar Tours (<a href="http://www.cellartours.com). “>www.cellartours.com). They put together a customized tour for us, and will take us to the various wineries. We will have plenty of free time as well. Ryan previously offered to meet up with us for a drink in Barcelona. Any suggestions or recommendations you have would be greatly appreciated. How was Remeriz de Ganuza? Their Riserva is one of my favorite wines. Richard

Gabriella

Wow Richard, Your trip sounds great! Although we have been to Abadia Retuerta and Remeriz de Ganuza, we have not visited the rest and we will be excited to hear what your experience is. Will you be going with a group or on your own? If you are on your own, please know that we are resource for you and would be happy to lend a hand if you should need it.

http://www.catavino.net Gabriella

Wow Richard,

Your trip sounds great! Although we have been to Abadia Retuerta and Remeriz de Ganuza, we have not visited the rest and we will be excited to hear what your experience is. Will you be going with a group or on your own? If you are on your own, please know that we are resource for you and would be happy to lend a hand if you should need it.

RichardA

Hi Gabriella:
My wife and I are going on our own through Cellar Tours (www.cellartours.com). They put together a customized tour for us, and will take us to the various wineries. We will have plenty of free time as well. Ryan previously offered to meet up with us for a drink in Barcelona. Any suggestions or recommendations you have would be greatly appreciated.

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Catavino evolved from the wanderings of an American couple who craved a radical change in perspective.In 2005 they quit their jobs, moved to Spain and dug deep into the local gastronomy. As time passed, they expanded their focus to include Portugal, whereby sharing the heart and soul of Iberian food, wine and culture. We invite you to follow our adventures via our blog or, for those who'd like to experience Spanish and Portuguese gastronomy themselves, we'd like to offer you our firsthand tips on travel and our expertise in organizing food and wine tasting tours.